Jones: Dak ‘determined’ to return against Lions

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is hopeful Dak Prescott will be able to return to the starting lineup Sunday against the Detroit Lions after missing five games with a fractured right thumb.

“Well, let’s just say this: He’s determined to [play],” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “I think he’s, from my perspective, from what I can know and see, I think he’s going to get there. We feel like that physically, he’s at a position that the risk/reward justifies him being out there in terms of any reoccurrence of the injury.”

Jones said Prescott had a “very impressive” throwing session before Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. After the game, Prescott said it was his plan to play against the Lions. On Monday, coach Mike McCarthy said Prescott would be cleared medically by Tuesday and would return to practice Wednesday.

Prescott began throwing only last week after undergoing surgery on Sept. 12.

“The final threshold is always return to play, but then there’s the timing. That’s for any position,” McCarthy said Monday. “When you look at players who are returned to play, they’re cleared medically to play, but if you don’t feel the timing is quite there, they may need another week. That’s why if you look at the regimentation of how we’ve been bringing Dak back, obviously following the medical process of it, we’ve been trying to do as much throwing, particularly the individual routes on air, as much as we can. I think we’ve checked the boxes.”

Jones is not worried about Prescott overcompensating for the thumb in a way that would lead to issues elsewhere with his throwing motion.

“I think he’s got a good chance to get out there,” Jones said.

The Cowboys went 4-1 with Cooper Rush as their starter, and Jones does not think the Cowboys will have to limit their offense whenever Prescott returns after a long layoff.

“We’ll get to do anything that we want to do,” Jones said. “No one is more prepared. No one has spent more hours preparing to play a football game than Dak. I think we’ve got it all there, the full repertoire. I don’t think there will be any limitations on anything we do.”

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